Fuse holders



April 16, 1968 E. H. PATER ET AL 3,378,665

FUSE HOLDERS Filed Jan. 9, 1967 2 SheetsQ-Sheet 1 April 16, 1968 E. H. PATER ET AL 3,378,665

FUSE HOLDERS Filed Jan. 9, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 & I I w" Q q United States Patent 66 1 Claim. (Cl. 200-166) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A fuse holder of the kind including a pair of spaced clips for gripping the ends of a cartridge fuse, the two arms of each clip being in contact with resilient walls on a body supporting the clip. The walls flex to permit the insertion of the fuse, and such an arrangement removes the necessity of the two arms constituting a clip being interconnected, so that each clip can be made from two identical separate connectors.

This invention relates to holders for cartridge fuses, or electrical components of similar shape, of the kind comprising a body, and a pair of clips supported by the body respectively and each having a pair of arms adapted to grip the ends of a fuse.

According to the invention, in a holder of the kind specified the arms are in contact with resilient walls forming part of the body, said walls flexing to permit insertion of the fuse.

In many known constructions, the fuse is held in position by the resilience of the arms alone, and so it is necessary for the arms to be interconnected. For the purpose, each pair of arms usually form' integral parts of a clip. According to the present invention, the arms are restricted in outward movement by the resilient walls, and so it is possible to use a clip consisting of two identical separate connectors with which the respective arms are integral. It is then possible to form a large number of identical connectors on a continuous strip of c0nduc tive material, and then to secure leads to the connectors before inserting the connectors into the body. Such a method of manufacture is not possible in constructions wherein each pair of arms is integral with a clip.

The invention in another aspect resides in a method of manufacturing a fuse holder.

Although the invention is particularly useful where each clip is formed from two connectors, it can advantageously, be employed with clips having the arms integral therewith.

One example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a holder for use with cartridge fuses, some of the fuses and their respective connectors being omitted for clarity. FIGURE 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 in FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic representation, illustrating the formation of the connectors shown in FIGURES l and 2.

Referring first to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is provided a moulded housing 11 which is designed to support connectors for engaging and making electrical connection to three fuses. The moulding 11 includes a base 12 having extending therethrough two parallel rows of slots 13, the slots in the two rows being aligned with each other. The slots 13 in each row are split up into pairs by resilient lugs 14 which extend at right angles to the base 12, the individual slots in each pair of slots being separated by walls 15. The lugs 14 and the walls 15 extend from both sides of the base 11, the parts of the lugs 14 which extend upwardly from the base 12 being bifurcated to form a pair of resilient walls.

this resilient wall being There is further provided a plurality of conductive connectors 16 each of which includes a portion 17 with which is engaged a lead 18, and a part circular arm 19 which in use engages the end cap of a cartridge fuse. Referring to FIGURE 3 the connectors 16 are formed from a conductive strip 23, which is first punched to define index holes 23a, the strip is then passed through a machine which shapes a plurality of connectors on the strip, electrically and physically connects a lead 18 with the end 17 of each connector by crimping the end 17 around the lead, and finally severs each connector complete with its lead from the remainder of the strip 23.

In order to engage a connector 16 with the housing 11, the arm 19 o fthe connector is inserted into a slot 13 and the connector is urged upwardly through the slot 13 until a pair of tags 24 integral with the connector 16 engage a downwardly presented abutment 25 on the wall 15 adjacent the slot 13 to prevent further movement of the connector upwardly. Each connector 16 is also formed with integral outwardly extending resilient tongue 26 which during insertion of the connector 16 into the housing 11 is flexed inwardly by engagement with the lug 14. When the tags 24 of the connector engage the abutments 25 the tongue 26 flexes outwardly to engage an upwardly directed shoulder 27 integral with the lug 14. Thus the tongue 26 and shoulder 27 prevent inadvertent withdrawal of the connector 16 from the housing 11. The connectors are arranged so that the connectors occupying a pair of slots 13 are in face to face relationship defining a conductive clip with which an end cap 22 of a cartridge fuse 21 can be engaged. The lugs 14 are so shaped that the arm 19 of each connector 16 contacts the adjacent resilient wall defined by the bifurcated lug 14, flexed during engagement of a fuse with the connectors 16.

The outermost lugs 14 are so shaped that they define with the wall of the housing 11 clips 28 for retaining a pair of spare fuses.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A holder for cartridge fuses and electrical components of similar shape, comprising in combination, a body, a first pair of parallel resilient walls defined by said body, a second pair of parallel resilient walls defined by said body and axially spaced from said first pair of'resilient walls by a distance substantially equal to the length of the component to be supported, a first pair of identical, separate, conductive ar-ms supported by said body between said first pair of resilient walls respectively, and adapted to grip one end of the component, and a second pair of identical, separate, conductive arms supported by said body between said second pair of resilient walls respectively and adapted to grip the other end of said component, said first pair of arms engaging the first pair of walls respectively and said second pair of arms engaging the second pair of walls respectively and the resilience of said walls serving to urge the arms towards one another when the component is engaged therebetween so that under the influence of said resilient walls, said arms grip the component.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,989,607 6/1961 Cellerini et al. 200-433 3,082,399 3/1963 Brandhorst 200-166 3,211,859 10/1965 Kobryner 200-114 FOREIGN PATENTS 584,223 10/1958 Italy.

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

H. O. JONES, Assistant Examiner. 

